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A Manitoba First Nation shut down its school Monday due to safety concerns after a worker found 25 bags of asbestos stored in a crawl space.

On Tuesday, Berens River Chief George Kemp said council ordered the K 9 sc Toms Outlet Online hool closed after a worker discovered more than two dozen bags full of asbestos in the school’s crawl space. He said it’s unsafe for the school’s 350 students and 100 staff to go in the school until an independent investigation determines there is no health danger.

Frontier School Division chief superintendent Ray Derksen released a statement Tuesday saying a mechanical contractor discovered asbestos at the Berens River School following air quality tests in 2010. Derksen’s statement said the school division hired a qualified remediation company to remove and contain the asbestos, and the material was sealed and labelled according to provincial regulations and “temporarily stored” in the crawl space under the school until it could be transported out of the community by winter road.

On Tuesday, the school division made arrangements for an independent expert to travel to the community to conduct a visual inspection and air quality testing. Toms Outlet Online The division said it was advised access to the school will not be allowed by chief and council.

“At no time has Frontier covered up information regarding the conditions at the school or knowingly exposed occupants of the school to any risk or harm,” Derksen’s statement said.

A provincial cabinet spokeswoman said the government hopes community leaders will grant the outside expert access to confirm whether it is safe for students to return as soon as possible. She said the Frontier School Division initially conducted air quality tests in 2010 at the request of the community, and shared the fact asbestos remediation was needed in a report to chief and council.

The spokeswoman said contained or encapsulated asbestos is not a health risk, according to information from Health Canada, which states asbestos only poses a risk when fibres are present in the air people breathe.

Kemp said community residents don’t trust the school is safe, particularly in light of a number of asbestos related deaths in Poplar River, a First Nations community just north of Berens River on the eastern edge of Lake Winnipeg.

Zonolite is a pebble like attic insulation made from the mineral vermiculite, which came from a mine in Libby, Mont., that was tainted with naturally occurring deposits of asbestos. Zonolite was popular in Canada from the 1950s until the 1980s and Canada paid for it to be installed in First Nations and military housing. Toms Outlet Online

“Everybody knows about that story a Toms Outlet Online nd that’s why it’s so scary,” Kemp said, referring to the deaths in Poplar River. “For years, people who work in that school have been telling me about being sick.”Hugh Jackman has another cancerous growth removed; urges others to get checked, wear sunscreenCity police identify shooting victim.

“You go and dump a bunch of big bags marked ‘Caution, Danger, C Toms Outlet Online ancer causing Lung Disease Agents,’ and then don’t expect people to freak out? They give us no pre warning, they never gave us the choice as to letting this happen,” Crawford told CBC News.

“Why do we all of a sudden become Chernobyl of the north, you know future home of the two headed babies. Why would they go and dump it on us and not let us know ahead of time? There is no accountability.”

Approved by cityGillam Mayor Jim Goymer said the town was contacted by a Montreal environmental company, asking permission to dispose and bury 540 tonnes of non hazardous contaminated soil and 410 tonnes of asbestos.

The massive industrial waste removal bags are tagged with a “Danger” notice that states the material is a “Cancer and Lung Disease Hazard.”

However, Goymer insists the materials don’t pose a public threat, adding Manitoba Conservation approved the dumping.

“We had to make sure that it was going to come in double bags. Nothing should be getting out of it. As long as everything arrives in its condition and we bury it right away, there should be no problems whatsoever,” he said.

Some bags, in photos taken by residents, are torn and have grey powder spilling out.

Crawford said the municipality should have allowedresidentsto express their views overthe dumping or at least warn them it wa Toms Outlet Online s going to happen.

Disposed materialsAccording to the Town of Gillam, the asbestos and other waste came from the former Mid Canada Line Site in Winisk, Ont., which is being remediated.

Goymer acknowledged that council had made a mistake in not telling people about it, but he said a notice wasposted on the townwebsite.

That notice, though, doesn’t mention anything about asbestos. It states: “The Town of Gillam council made an informed decision to accept non hazardous waste into the Gillam waste disposal ground.”

It further states that Manitoba Conservation approved it and asks people to use caution when at the dump site.

In another online notice dated Sunday, the Town of Gillam said residents were not notified about he asbestos “because we don’t formally notify the public of our ordinary operations, nor have we notified the public about the acceptance and burial of this type of material in the past.”

The town said residents have always been invited to attend council meetings, where “all of the information regarding this material was dicussed openly.”

With regards to the bags of asbestos being labelled as dangerous, Toms Outlet Online the town said the warnings only apply if anyone goes near the bags or tries to open them.

Restricted accessGoymer said another load will be dumpedThursday and all of it will be buried. The town is getting paid$80 a tonneto accept the material, he added.

Dan McInnis, Manitoba’s assistant deputy minister of conservation and water stewardship, said access to the Gillam asbestos Toms Outlet Online site is restricted.

“I don’t think there’s a need to worry. I also think there’s a need not to go there and start walking over the bags and driving over the bags that wouldn’t be a prudent thing to do,” he said.

Asbestos is responsible for over 4500 deaths every year. Younger people, if routinely exposed to s over time, are at greater risk of developing asbestos related disease than older workers. This is due to the time it takes for the body to develop symptoms after exposure to asbestos (latency). Exposure to asbestos can cause four main diseases:

It can take anywhere between 15 60 years for any symptoms to develop after exposure, so these diseases will not affect you immediately but may do later in life. You need to start protecting yourself against any exposure to asbestos now because the effect is cumulative.

Asbestos was a widely used material within commercial buildings, homes and machinery until 1999, when it was banned. This means that asbestos is common in the general environment. However, working directly with asbestos containing materials (ACMs) can give personal exposures to airborne asbestos that are much higher than normal environmental levels. Repeated occupational exposures can give rise to a substantial cumulative exposure over time. This will increase the risk of developing an asbestos related disease in the future.

The majority of the current fatal cases from asbestos exposure (approximately 4000 deaths per year) are associated with very high exposures from past industrial processes and installation of asbestos products.

What is the ‘duty to manage’ asbestos and who has it?

The duty to manage asbestos is a legal requirement under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (Regulation 4). It applies to the owners and occupiers of commercial premises (such as shops, offices, industrial units etc) who have responsibility for maintenance and repair activities. In addition to these responsibilities, they also have a duty to assess the presence and condition of any asbestos containing materials. If asbestos is present, or is presumed to be present, then it must be managed appropriately. The duty also applies to the shared parts of some domestic premises.

Comprehensive advice on the duty to manage asbestos, including a step by step guide to help you manage asbestos in your buildings, can be found here.

What is an asbestos survey and do I need one?

An asbestos survey is an effective way to help you manage asbestos in your premises by providing accurate information about the location, amount and type of any asbestos containing materials (ACMs). While not a legal requirement, it is recommended that you arrange a survey if you suspect there are ACMs in your premises. Alternatively, you may choose to presume there is asbestos in your premises and would then need to take all appropriate precautions for any work that takes place. However, it is good practice to have an asbestos survey carried out so you can be absolutely sure whether asbe Toms Outlet Online stos is present or not.

The asbestos survey can help to provide enough information so that an asbestos register, a risk assessment and a management plan can then be prepared. The survey will usually involve sampling and analysis to determine the presence of asbestos so asbestos surveys should only be carried out by competent surveyors who can clearly demonstrate they have the necessary skills, experience and qualifications.

An asbestos survey will ident Toms Outlet Online ify:

the location of any asbestos containing materials in the building

the type of asbestos they contain

the condition these materials are in

Following a survey, the surveyor should produce a survey report which details the findings. This information can help you prepare an asbestos risk register.

What is an asbestos risk register?

The asbestos risk register is a key component of the required plan on how you will manage any asbestos found, or presumed to be, in your buildings. This management plan must contain current information about the presence and condition of any asbestos in the building. The asbestos risk register will therefore need to be updated on a regular basis (at least once a year). To do this you should make:

regular inspections to check the current condition of asbestos materials

deletions to the register when any asbestos is removed

additions to the register when new areas are surveyed and asbestos is located

changes to the register (at any time asbestos containing materials are found to have deteriorated)

The risk register can be kept as a paper or electronic record and it is very important that this is kept up to date and easily accessible. Paper copies may be easier to pass on to visiting maintenance workers, who will need them to know the location and condition of any asbestos before they start work. Electronic copies are easier to update and are probably better suited for people responsible for large numbers of properties or bigger premises.